placeholder

noun

place·​hold·​er ˈplās-ˌhōl-dər How to pronounce placeholder (audio)
plural placeholders
1
: a person or thing that occupies the position or place of another person or thing
The bill would empower the governor to appoint a placeholder to a vacant U.S. Senate seat, to serve through the next general election cycle.John Sharp
The result was that the legislation represented little more than a placeholder to put the budget before a conference committee …Carl Ingram
2
: a symbol in a mathematical or logical expression that may be replaced by the name of any element of a set
3
American football : a player who places and holds the ball upright on the ground for placekicking of a field goal

Examples of placeholder in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The administration was announcing rollbacks and actions in such rapid succession — 31 in around two hours — there appeared to still be placeholders or typos in the news releases. Ella Nilsen, CNN, 12 Mar. 2025 However, Taylor could potentially be a placeholder until the Jets find a long-term replacement at quarterback. Antwan Staley, New York Daily News, 25 Feb. 2025 Indeed, the placeholder is simply meant to alert employees that someone needs to look at the file to determine what needs to be corrected. Chicago Tribune, 21 Feb. 2025 Everyone else is a functional role player at best, a placeholder at worst. Derrik Klassen, The Athletic, 12 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for placeholder

Word History

First Known Use

1927, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of placeholder was in 1927

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Placeholder.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/placeholder. Accessed 17 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

placeholder

noun
place·​hold·​er ˈplās-ˌhōl-dər How to pronounce placeholder (audio)
: a symbol used in mathematics in the place of a numeral not yet known
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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